Prepayment gas-meter.



Noi870,600.

PRBPAYMENI GAS METER.

APPLICATION FILED HAY 11. 1905.

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Benjanulan G. Waa'o'ner.

q ma-saw am PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

B. e. WAGGNBR. PREPAYMENT GAS METER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1906.

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. No. 870,600. PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

B. G. WAGGNER.

PREPAYMENT GAS METER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 11.1905.

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BENJAMIN G. WAGGNER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

rnnrnmm' GAS-METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907.

Application filed May 11, 1906. Serial No. 259.934.

Objects of the present invention are to provide a simple, efiicient,accurate and reliable prepayment gas meter; to provide compact mechanismconsisting of comparatively few parts for opening the gas valve upon theproper application of a coin and for closing it in response to theconsumption of the coins worth of gas; to

provide simple and reliable devices for preventing the extraction of -acoin which has been used to start the opening of the gas valve; and toimprove the mechanism by which the gas valve is operated To these andother ends hereinafter set forth the invention comprises theimprovements to be presently described and finally claimed.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of my. invention willbemore fully understood from the'following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings forming part hereof and in which.

Figure 1, is a perspective view of a meter embodying features of theinvention. Fig. 2, is a view looking from the inside of the meter towardthe operating handle or knob showing in dotted lines the position ofwheels which are removed from the foreground. Fig.

3, is a similar view looking toward the meter and away from the knob andillustrating in dotted lines the position of one of the wheels. Fig. 4,is a top or plan view of the meter with the cover removed. Fig. 5, is aview, principally in vertical section, illustrating portions of themechanism embodying features of the invention. Figs. 6 and 7, are viewsillustrating two positions of the knob or handle and showing the devicewith parts of the exterior removed, and Fig. 8, is a perspective viewillustrating the valve operating cam and its accessories.

In the drawings 1, is the housing of the meter and 2, is the housing ofthe coin receptacle which is shown as applied to the end wall of themeter housing.

3, is a cylindrical casing applied to the housing 2, of the coinreceptacle. The casing 3, is provided with a coin receiving'slot 4, andwith a chute 5, which communicates with the coin receptacle. The slot 4,and chute 5, are shown as arranged at less or more than 180 degreesapart according to the direction in which the measurement is taken andas shown in Fig. 6. The knob or handle 6, is rotatable and is providedwith a radially arranged coin receiving pocket7, so that upon turningthe knob 6, the pocket 7, may be brought into alinement with the coinreceiving slot 4, or with the coin delivery chute 5. The extent to whichthe knob 6, and coin receiving pocket 7, may be turned is limited by thecontact of the wing 8, with the stops 9 and 10,

that project outwardly from the face of the cylindrical housing.

As shown in the drawings, the radial pocket 7, is provided upon one sidewith a semi-circular plate a, which together with the side walls of thepocket serve to carry a cylindrical rim b, the purpose of which is toclose the slot 4, when the opening to the pocket is not in line with it.

The follower 11, is pivoted concentrically with the knob 6, and isprovided with pins 12, which project toward the knob. When a coin is inposition in the pocket '7, its rim is properly located to abut upon theside of one of the pins 12, as shown in Fig. 5, so that i with the coinin position when the knobG, is turned, the follower 11, is also turned.There is arranged crosswise of the coin pocket a spring 13, whichengages the rim of the coin but may yield so as to permit the coin toride over and pass a detent 14, arranged upon the inner faceof thecylindrical casing 2. Thus as'soon as the knob is turned the coin ridesup and over the detent, the spring 13, yielding for this purpose, sothat the knob 6, may not be turned backward which some one might attemptto do in order to extract the. coin. The follower 11, has connected withit a driving toothed wheel 15, and there is a pawl 16, for preventingretrograde movement of the wheel 15. This wheel 15,

meshes withan intermediate toothed wheel 16, that is carried by anadjustable arm 17. The purpose of this is to permit of replacing thewheel 18, by others having different numbers of teeth which would bedone if it should be desired to change the quantity of gas to be soldfora particular coin. The intermediate wheel 16, meshes with a toothedwheel 18", secured to a shaft 19, which extends through suitable provi-'sions into the interior of the housing 1. Fast to this ;oluble sleeve23, which carries an arm having upon it toothed wheels 24, of which twoare shown and which mesh with the teeth of the internal gear 20. Thissleeve 23, is also provided with a worm 25, which meshes with a wormwheel 26, that is connected with a valve operating cam 27. Within thesleeve there is a revoluble shaft 28, that carries upon one of its endsa toothed wheel 29, that meshes with the toothed wheels 24, and at theother of its ends a worm wheel 30, that is driven by a worm 31, from thepointer driving shaft 32, of the meter, the latter shaft 32,-beingdrivenby the flag arm mechanism 33, of the meter. The shaft 34, whichcarries the cam 27, and worm wheel 26, is shown as provided with apointer 35, that is visible at a dial 36, arranged outside of the meterbeside the ordinary dials 37. This pointer 35, serves to indicateapproximately the amount of gas consumed and to afiord notice of thefact that an additional coin will soon have 23, at a speed greater thanthat of the shaft 19, because a the numberof teeth on the'internal gearexceeds the number of teeth on the gear wheel 29. Thus the sleeve 23,runs'ahead of the shaft 19, and turns the worm 25,

quite rapidly. When the shaft 28, is being turned by I the flagmechanism .33, of the meter, the internal gear 20, remains at rest'andthe gear wheel 29, turns'with the shaft 28, and drives the wheels 24,and the arm which carries them and the shaft 23,; in the oppositedirection to that indicatedlby the arrow on the drawings, Fig. 5, and-ata relatively slow speed because the wheel 29, of comparatively few teethbears the relation of driver to the internal gear 20, which has arelatively large number of teeth.

It may be explained that the cam 27, is turned in r the direction.indicated by the arrow when the knob 6, with the coin present is turnedand that'thecam is turned in the opposite direction by the normaloperation of the flag mechanism of the meter. The cam 27, is, generallyspeaking, circular'. However, it is provided with a radial slot oropening adjacent to which is a high part 38. The -rim of this cam 27, istheoper ative portion of it and it operates upon a stud or pin 39,projecting from an armon a pivotally supported rock-shaft 40, the otherarm 41, of which has pivoted to itthe valve 42, that controls thepassage of gas through the meter. The slot in the cam 27, when it isturned inthe direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5, serves topositively open the valve and during the continuance of this turningmotion the pin or stud 39, rides upon the rim of the cam, thus holdingthe valve 'open.. When the cam turns in the opposite direction,

the longer edge of the slot which is adjacent to the high part 38,engages the pin or stud and'positively closes the valve '42.- This valve42, is arranged within a I housing'43, one ofthe walls of which isprovided with a stuffing box or gland through which the rock shaft 40,works. Gas entering at 44, reaches the interior of the casing 43, andthen according to the position of the valve 42, is delivered by way ofthe passage 44 to the interior of the meter and thence through the sameto the consumer. I When the coin is dropped into the' holder it comes toan even bearing on the bottom walls thereof and it is possible to sodesign the parts that in this position the rim of the coin is out ofline with the .to be in range of the pin 12.

end of the adjacent piii12, but when the knob 6 is turned the coinriding upon the incline face of the def tent 14, is carried upward andforward as shown in Fig. 5, so that its rim comes into line and contactswith the adjacent pin 12. The advantage of this is that it is difiicult,if not impossible, to place a smaller coin than the machine is intendedfor in thepocket and then position it, as for instance by means of apiece of paper in such a way that it would extend far enough It will beobvious to' those skilled in the art to which my invention appertainsthat modifications may be made in detail without departing from thespirit thereof, hence the invention is not limited further than theprior state of the art may require, but Having thus described the natureand objects of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1.' In apparatus of the type specified'the combination of a rock shafthaving arms of which one is provided with a gas valve, a cam shaftprovided with a cam for operating the other of said arms, a hand drivenshaft arranged transversely of the cam shaft and provided with aninternal gear wheel, a gas driven shaft alined with the hand ,drivenshaft and provided with a gear wheel arranged within the internal gearwheel, a sleeve loosely mounted on the last mentioned shaft and providedwith an arm carrying toothed wheels which mesh with both said gearwheels, and worm gearing interposedbetween said sleeve and cam shaft,substantially as described.

2. In apparatus of the type specified a rock shaft having arms of whichone 'is provided with a gas valve and of v which the other constitutesthe sole means for operating the gas valve and is provided-with alaterally projecting pin', a generally clrcular'cam having a radialopening approximately fitting the pin and having substantially parallelsides and said cam having a high part adjacent to the opening, and meansfor turning the cam whereby the rock shaft is turned and the valvepositively seated with prac tically no lost motion, substantially asdescribed.

In apparatus of the type specified the combination of a. hand drivenshaft provided with aninternal gear wheel,

a gas driven shaft alined with the first mentioned shaft and providedwith a gear wheel' arranged concentrically with the internal gear wheel,a sleeve mounted on th'egas' driven shaft and provided with an arm.carrying toothed wheels that mesh with'both said wheels, a worm on saidsleeve, a rock shaft provided with arms whereof one is provided with agas valve and the other constitutes the sole means for actuating therock shaft and isprovided with a projection, a radially notched camprovided with a high part and coiiperating with a projection to forcethe valve to its seat, and a cam shaft carrying said cam and .providedwith a worm wheel engaging said worm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

Witnesses:

B. H. SPANGs'NBnne, I C. A. L. Monsn.

' BENJAMIN- e. WAGGNER.

